Use of secondary ion mass spectrometry to image44calcium uptake in the cell walls of apple fruit

Summary Calcium, an important agent in regulating cell wall autolysis during fruit ripening, interacts with pectic acid polymers to form cross-bridges that influence cell separation. In the present study, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to determine whether the cell walls of apple fruit were able to take up exogenously applied⁴⁴Ca, which was infiltrated into mature fruit. SIMS, which has the ability to discriminate between isotopes, allowed localization of the exogenously applied⁴⁴Ca and the native⁴⁰Ca. The results indicated that the total amount of calcium present in the cell walls was enriched with⁴⁴Ca and that heterogeneity of⁴⁴Ca distribution occurred in the pericarp. Isotope ratio images showed microdomains in the cell wall, particularly in the middle lamella intersects that oppose the intercellular spaces. These domains may be the key areas that control cell separation. These data suggest that exogenously applied calcium may influence cell wall autolysis.Abbreviations SIMS secondary ion mass spectrometry     

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time and self-diffusion coefficient measurements of water in frog ovarian eggs (Rana pipiens)

Self-diffusion coefficient measurements of water in untreated ovarian eggs of Rana pipiens using nuclear magnetic resonance indicate that cytoplasmic water has reduced translational mobility compared with pure water. Using a simple two-state model, we find that ～67% is “relatively immobile.” Consideration of the nuclear magnetic resonance spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times indicates that the decreased mobility can largely be ascribed to hydration. Our value for the self-diffusion coefficient (6.8 × 10^?6 cm²/sec) is lower than those reported by other investigators using isotopic water exchange techniques on frog eggs chemically treated to remove the membrane. However, the results reported here are in agreement with unpublished data on untreated frog eggs implying that chemical treatment has modified the cytoplasm in some manner.     

Description and validation of an ECG removal procedure for EMGdi power spectrum analysis

We describe a cross-correlation procedure for removing contaminating electrocardiogram (ECG) complexes from the diaphragmatic electromyogram (EMGdi). First, the operator selects ECG templates from the EMGdi signal during expiratory intervals. Second, these templates are used to locate ECG complexes occurring during inspiratory EMGdi activity. Third, at the point of maximum correlation between the template and these ECG complexes, the template is adjusted in size and offset to "match" the ECG complex, and adjustments are determined by the linear regression coefficients. Finally, the modified template is subtracted from the EMGdi signal. To evaluate our method, we compared the power spectral density (PSD) obtained from processing EMGdi signals by our method with those obtained from the EMGdi signal in which ECG complexes had been removed by gating. Our results indicate that PSD obtained by these two different methods shows no statistically significant differences with respect to the following features: centroid frequency, median frequency, total power, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis.     

Evaluation of neem seed powder for Fusarium wilt and Meloidogyne control on tomato

Fusarium wilt and root-knot are important diseases of tomato. The use of chemical is becoming less appealing because of the health implications. Also, the chemicals required are often not within the reach of farmers in most of the developing part of the world. This research is aimed at finding an alternative mode of control. Tomato variety Roma VF inoculated with Meloidogyne and Fusarium were treated with 2 g/kg soil neem seed powder in the screenhouse and 2 Mg ha ^{? 1} in the field. An untreated and Furadan treated plot in the field served as control. Neem seed powder significantly reduced the disease severity of Fusarium and root-knot in both screenhouse and field. Results suggest the possible use of neem seed powder for control of the root-knot nematodes - Fusarium wilt disease complex.     

Testing statistical significance scores of sequence comparison methods with structure similarity

Background  

In the past years the Smith-Waterman sequence comparison algorithm has gained popularity due to improved implementations and rapidly increasing computing power. However, the quality and sensitivity of a database search is not only determined by the algorithm but also by the statistical significance testing for an alignment. The e-value is the most commonly used statistical validation method for sequence database searching. The CluSTr database and the Protein World database have been created using an alternative statistical significance test: a Z-score based on Monte-Carlo statistics. Several papers have described the superiority of the Z-score as compared to the e-value, using simulated data. We were interested if this could be validated when applied to existing, evolutionary related protein sequences.     

Identifying dynamical modules from genetic regulatory systems: applications to the segment polarity network

Background  

It is widely accepted that genetic regulatory systems are 'modular', in that the whole system is made up of smaller 'subsystems' corresponding to specific biological functions. Most attempts to identify modules in genetic regulatory systems have relied on the topology of the underlying network. However, it is the temporal activity (dynamics) of genes and proteins that corresponds to biological functions, and hence it is dynamics that we focus on here for identifying subsystems.     

Reduced expression of the membrane skeleton protein beta1-spectrin (SPTBN1) is associated with worsened prognosis in pancreatic cancer

Spectrins are members of the superfamily of F-actin cross linking proteins that are important as scaffolding proteins for protein sorting, cell adhesion, and migration. In addition, spectrins have been implicated in TGF-beta signaling. The aim of the present study was to analyze the expression and localization of beta1-spectrin (SPTBN1) in pancreatic tissues. mRNA levels of SPTBN1 in cultured pancreatic cancer cell lines, as well as in normal pancreatic tissues (n=18), chronic pancreatitis (n=48) and pancreatic cancer tissues (n=66) were analyzed by real time quantitative RT-PCR. Localization of SPTBN1 in pancreatic tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry. SPTBN1 staining was assessed semi-quantitatively in 55 cancer tissues and survival analysis was carried out using the Kaplan-Meier method. Median SPTBN1 mRNA levels were 6.0-fold higher in pancreatic cancer tissues compared to the normal pancreas (p<0.0001) and 2.2-fold higher compared to chronic pancreatitis tissues (p=0.0002). In the normal pancreas, SPTBN1 was present in the cytoplasm of normal ductal cells and occasionally in pancreatic acinar and centroacinar cells. In pancreatic cancer tissues, SPTBN1 was present in the cytoplasm of pancreatic cancer cells. Low SPTBN1 protein expression indicated a tendency for worsened prognosis with a median survival of 14.0 months, versus 23.8 months for patients whose tumors expressed moderate/high levels of SPTBN1. In conclusion, reduced SPTBN1 expression correlated with shorter survival of pancreatic cancer patients, suggesting a tumor suppressor function of this gene, as has already been shown for other malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract.